Kodak Creo iQsmart2 and Creo iQsmart 3 with oXYgen scanner software replace

Kodak’s Creo iQsmart 2 and iQsmart 3 replace former Scitex EverSmart series Jazz, Jazz+

Creo, CreoScitex, and Scitex are part of Kodak since 2005

Which of the capable Creo EverSmart flatbed scanners are optimal for your needs? The CreoScitex everSmart Jazz, Jazz+, Pro II, Select or Supreme? Although we happen to have tested the Supreme, this is mainly for professional prepress, as an alternative instead of a costly drum scanner.

Of course now drum scanner prices have dropped; drum scanner software is easier to use today. So many people are returning to the true optical quality that only a drum scanner can offer. But we do not recommend cheap drum scanners; the only drum scanner we would even consider would be the ICG, and since we have not used this in person at FLAAR we can't recommend it until we have experience in person. We use a Creo EverSmart Supreme ourselves, and are very happy with it.

We also like the Pro II and Select; but the Jazz and Jazz+ have too much competition at lower price elsewhere. Besides, the Jazz is actually made by Microtek which is not exactly a high-end company.

We get e-mail every day from people tell us what their scanner needs are and asking what scanner we recommend for their company. One of the most common needs is "I have 12,000 slides accumulated over the years and need to scan them all.

Should I select the Polaroid 4000 or the Nikon 2000?"

1st, how do you seriously expect to hand feed 12,000 slides through a tiny slot that holds only a single slide at a time? Yes, you can get an "auto feeder" but you still have to handle the slides one by one. After the first dozen slides you will simply give up. Besides, the software that comes with those scanners is inadequate for serious professional use (unless you are a real expert).

Our experiences with the Creo iQsmart 2 and iQsmart 3 are provided in detail in the FLAAR Reports on scanners.

Current lineup of Creo flatbed scanners

The Creo EverSmart Pro II, has been replaced by the Creo iQsmart3; replaced at midrange by Creo iQsmart2.

We provide the specs for the former Pro II, so you can see how much horsepower you get with the newer (and lower cost) iQsmart3. Pro II offered 3175 dpi. For photo studios, stock photo archives, museums, prepress, for use instead of a costly drum scanner. We tested a Pro (predecessor of the Pro II) after a PMA trade show years ago. We were not impressed with the Jazz or Jazz+ and feel the iQsmart2 and iQsmart3 function much better.

The Creo EverSmart Supreme is still the high end at Kodak, and the Rolls Royce of flatbed scanners, especially with oXYgen scanner software. The current version (2006) is the EverSmart Supreme II. We have experience with two earlier versions of the Supreme and recommend it wholeheartedly. An alternative choice would be the Creo EverSmart Select II.

The Supreme offers 5600 dpi. Excellent model for prepress, where quality is the goal and price is no object. More productive than a drum scanner and half the cost. This is the best of the high end, the model we used at the FLAARDigitalImagingResourceCenter, at that time in Essen, Germany. We currently have a Creo Supreme in the FLAAR Photo Archive, BGSU.

This kind of scanner is ideal for scanning for printing billboards, banners, large format printing, signs, and posters. Viable alternatives used to be the Fujifilm FineScan or Lanovia C-550 Sprint, Agfa XY, or Heidelberg Nexscan. But most of the scanners are no longer available and/or do not work with Mac OS X.

So if you have thousands of slides to scan, there is no Umax, no Microtek (and hence no Agfa other than their XY 15) that can handle batch scans. Entry level Heidelberg scanners are Umax inside and are no longer available from Heidelberg. The nice Heidelberg 2400 11x17 inch scanners has a sweet spot down the middle. Their strip down the middle is the only part of the scanner where you get the full dpi (something you tend to miss in your excitement over their low price; this deficiency is precisely why those other scanners are under $20,000). Umax has not made a new scanner for years. Most other companies dropped out of the scanner market years ago. Creo Inc., a subsidiary of Kodak, is one of the few companies that still develops and offers high quality flatbed scanners.

For 4x5 chromes, if you are stuck with a scanner that has a sweet spot, you can only scan at full resolution a single row of transparencies. With the Heidelberg 5000 dpi scanner or any of the Fuji scanners you can fill the entire bed with 4x5 chromes cheek to jowl. We discuss these problems (“sweet spot”) in the FLAAR Reports on scanners.

Where to get info on EverSmart and iQsmart scanners. If you use an Epson printer, a good place to learn about the Creo scanners is Parrot Digigraphic, imaging@parrotcolor.com. They also are good with pre-press applications.

Where to buy Fuji? the one dealer who tried to offer them said it was difficult to deal with Fuji's distribution system in America. We have the same problem since Fuji is not one company, but several. There is no one single scanner division within Fuji. However if we get a Fuji scanner in-house and if we find out who the new Fuji managers are in the USA and for the rest of the world, we will post updates throughout the FLAAR Information Network.

But Creo scanners are readily available (direct from Kodak or from Parrot Digigraphic, for example). If you need to try out a Creo scanner, before buying it, you can opt for these solutions. Once you have a scanner of this quality on your desk, you will probably not be content with any lesser brand or lesser model.

If you are in any country, including outside the USA, and wish further information on these flatbed scanners, the world-wide e-mail is scanner@creo.com.


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